The final pieces to next years team

With the April recruiting period in full swing and the second letter of intent signing period beginning, next years Vermont team looks to be complete. Barring an unforeseen late departure (a la Four McGlynn) all the scholarships are now spoken for. Here are my thoughts on the final two members of next years team. 

Trae Bell-Haynes is a point guard from Canada who played his high school basketball at the Bill Crothers Secondary School. Trae is listed at 6-2 170 pounds and has just signed his letter of intent as of today. This makes him an official part of the Cats. There is not a wealth of info about him and when he committed it was definitely a surprise as there was no talk of him prior to his verbal commitment. It is hard to judge recruits by watching highlight videos and scouring the internet for articles. It is made even more difficult when it is a Canadian prospect. The Canadian scouts are fairly high on Trae. The attributes that have come up most in my research are high character and a tremendous work ethic. Trae is a very intelligent player who works diligently to improve every facet of his game. In the highlight video he displays good speed and court vision. His defensive instincts look solid and he plays tough. His offense game is a little raw and his jump shot needs work. It is an interesting choice by the coaching staff as that puts 6 guards on the team next year. It looks like that might signal a shift as to what style Becker wants to play going forward now that he will have a team full of his recruits. It certainly sets up a fierce competition for playing time as this freshman groups begins their career. 

Darren Payen is a transfer from Hofstra. Darren is a SF/PF listed at 6-8 210 who will have two years of eligibility left when he joins the team for the 2015-2016 season. Vermont recruited him out of high school before he chose Hofstra so he is familiar with the coaching staff. This looks to be a great fit for this team, as they need frontcourt players. Transfers are very difficult to judge because there are always multiple factors that go into the decision to transfer. Darren clearly is looking for more playing time as he struggled to crack the rotation at Hofstra. With so little playing time at Hofstra it is difficult to assess how successful Darren will be at the college level. He has tremendous athleticism and can finish above the rim. That will be a great addition to the Cats. This athleticism allows him to be an effect shot blocker on the defensive end and a crafty offensive rebounder. His offensive game is raw but the ability seems to be there. This team will clearly be playing at a much faster pace than the previous group and he will create a very athletic frontcourt with O'Day and McRoberts. Vermont's history with transfers has been a mixed bag so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table. 

Now that the team is set it will be fun to see how all the players fit together in the fall. This will be an exciting year with so many new players to get to know. As it gets closer to the season I will have season previews and maybe even a few predictions. If the all state awards that most of this years recruits received are any indication there is a lot to be excited about in Catamount Country.